Conversely, some states have low costs but their quality is lacking. For example, Alabama has the least-expensive care but ranks 44th for quality. Additionally, the Northeast showed generally higher costs and lower quality scores in the report.
The study used various statistics including nursing home costs, in-home care prices and elderly well-being assessments to arrive at its rankings. First overall is Utah, followed by Iowa, South Carolina, Washington and Nebraska. The bottom five include Wyoming, North Dakota, New York, Indiana and West Virginia.
The differences in cost for various services can be stark. For instance, the average annual cost of nursing home care in Alaska is $281,415 compared with $63,875 in Utah, according to a 2015 study by Genworth Financial.
Sullivan said that given the varying levels of quality and care offered across the country, it’s important to start giving thought to options long before elder care services are needed.